Means for adjusting lamps.



No. 755,914. 'PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904.

-W. G. MORSE. A

MEANS FOR ADJUSTING LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED 30v. 7, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

THE-news PETERS m. vnoraunnt, WA$NINGTDN n L NO. 755,914. Patented March 29, 1904.

UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER G. MORSE, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

MEANS FOR ADJUSTING LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,914, dated March 29, 1904;.

Application filed November 7, 1903. Serial No. 180,277. (No model.)

To all whom it y concern! through the connecting-wires, which extend 5 Be itknown that I,WAI.TER Gr. MORSE, acitifrom the rosette, generally located on the zen of the United States, and a resident of Waceiling, to the lamp-socket. Such devices are terbury, in the county of New Haven and State faulty, inasmuch as the lamp-wire cord soon of Connecticut, have invented certain new and becomes worn by its adjustment and causes useful Improvements in Means for Adjusting danger of short-circuits. A further fault re- 5 5 Lamps, of which the following is a specificasults from the weight of the lamp and aption. purtenant parts being carried wholly upon the The invention relates to a device for varyconnecting lamp -cord, which transmits the ing the position of a lamp-as, for instance, current to the lamp. In the improved device an incandescent lamp-to various heights, and herein described this is entirely obviated, and 60 pertains more particularlyto an adjusting dea'simpleand efiicient device is provided which vice which is applied directly to the parts in no way interferes with the ordinary parts which support the lamp. of a pendent lamp and precludes any possi- I 5 The object of the invention is to provide an bility of the connecting-wires becoming worn extremely simple and eflicient device by which to a sufficient degree to short-circuit. 5 the lamp may be readily adjusted to any de- In the accompanying drawings the nusired height; and a further object is to promeral 1 denotes an ordinary ceiling-rosette; vide an adjusting means which will in no way 2, the lamp-socket, having an incandescent 2o interfere with the ordinary connecting parts bulb 3 and shade 4, and 5 represents the conof the lampas, for instance,the current-wires ductors or conducting-cord, including a pair 7 of an electric lamp. of wires, which extend from the ceiling, ro-

A still further object is to provide an adsette to the lamp-socket. justment which may be either formed as apart Ceiling-rosettes are ordinarily formed in of the usual elements of a pendent lamp or two parts, comprising a base-piece 6 and a may be separately formed and easily applied cap 7, with interengaging metallic connec- 75 to the parts of such a lamp. tions, those on the base 6 arranged to be con- Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illusnected with the main-line wires and those in trates the preferred form of arrangement of the cap being connected to the wires arthe adjusting device. Fig. 2illustrates a form ranged within the lamp-cord and extending of the device in which the conducting-wires to the lamp-socket. In the preferred man- 80 of the lamp are used in the adjustment. Fig. ner of applying the improvement herein de- 3 is a detail View, on an enlarged scale, of a scribed the base 6 is provided with an openceiling-rosette, showing the manner in which ing 8, preferably chamfered at the outer the adjustment is effected. Fig. 4 is a plan and lower edges, as at 9, to prevent fraying view of the base, showing a groove instead of or cutting of the pendent cord 10. This cord 5 an opening through the body of the material. is secured to the lamp-socket through a con- Fig. 5 is a view showing the application in a nection 11, which may be of any desired subbase. Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the conform, and after passing through the aperture nectionbetween thesuspension-cord andlampin the base is connected with a couhterbalwires. Fig. 7 shows the adjusting-block sepance-weight 12. The line-wires of the lamp- 9 arable from the base. Fig. 8 illustrates a cord 5 pass in under the connection 11 and are modified form of adjusting-block for use in properly connected with the necessary conconnection with old work and rosettes in use. tacts within the socket 2. It will be seen It is well understood that various forms of from this constructionthat the'entire weight adjusting devices have been used for varying of the lamp is supported directly from the the heights and position of pendent'electric base-piece, and this being made of insulating lamps. In most of these devices, and so far material and of very substantial form seas known to me, the adjustment is effected curely holds the lamp without liability of injury. The base-piece is firmly screwed to the ceiling, and the aperture 8 exerts a frictional grasp upon the pendent cord 10.

In ordinary adjusting means for lamps, such as have heretofore been used, clips or like devices have been applied directly to the lamp-cord 5 and the height of the lamp has been varied by lengthening or shortening the cord by pulling it through the clip. In all such devices the entire weight hangs from the cap, and thus necessarily subjects the interengaging parts of the cap and base to undue strains, to say nothing of the liability of the lamp-wire being pulled out of the base.

In the improved device herein shown and de' scribed this difficulty is entirely obviated.

Thesuspension-cord passes through the base, which exerts a frictional hold upon it, and the entire weight of lamp and suspension device hangs directly from the base, which may be firmly secured. When the lamp is raised. the counterbalance-weight pulls the cord through the base-piece and the cord, having a long bearing in the base and comparatively short bends at either end of the aperture, holds the lamp in any desired po sition of adjustment. A simple raisingor lowering of the socket and lamp efiects any necessary degree of adjustment.

While it is not an approved method, owing to the liability of fraying and destroying the lamp-cord, it may be arranged in the same base as above described, and illustrated in Fig. 2. In this case the lamp cord or wires 13 pass through the aperture in the base, and where the cord is looped back to engage the contacts in the cap the weight 1a is arranged upon a traveler 15, and thus counterbalances the lamp 16 and holds it in any desired position. WVhen the device is used in new work, the aperture is formed in the base-piece when it is molded, and in lieu of a hole through body of the base it is preferable to use a groove 17 such as is illustrated in Fig. 4. It is preferred, however, in either form of the device to arrange the groove transversely to the line-wire connections 18 19, and this applies not only to Fig. 4, but to any of the figures of the drawings.

When it is desired to apply the adjustment to lamps already in place as, for instance, in factories or buildingsinstead of removing the entire rosette or its base-piece and substituting a new one a supplemental base 20, such as is shown in Fig. 5, may obviously be used to secure the desired results, or in lieu of the supplemental base-piece 20 a block 21, such as is shown in Fig. 7, having an extending plate 22, may be used and clamped between the base-piece and the ceiling. In this case the block 21 is provided with a perforation, as indicated, or may have a groove, as suggested in dotted outline. In fact, it is preferred in any form of the device to use a groove formed in the bottom of the basepiece instead of a distinct perforation passing through the body of the material, and in the use of the word perforation it should be understood as an opening or recess in the form of a groove or an opening through the body of the material.

As a convenient means for attaching the adjusting-cord to the lamp-socket without interfering with the connection of the wires a metallic strip conforming to the general lines of the socket is provided, having an opening in its upper face through which the adjustingcord is passed and knotted, the lamp-cord being brought in under the frame-like part so formed and passing through the connection at the end of the socket without interfering in any way with any of the parts of the socket or causing any change in them. The connection or clip 11 is preferably stamped out of sheet metal and has its ends bent downward adjacent to the cap of the lamp-socket. This is conveniently located in place by the ordinary screws which hold the cap of the socket to the main body part, and grooves or notches 25 26 are provided in the two dependent ends of the clip to be engaged by said screws.

Obviously any form of connection might be used without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention, and various-modifications might be made in the details of the arrangement of the several parts. It is material to the invention, however, that it have a base piece provided with a perforation through which the adjusting-cord passes and so arranged as to support the entire weight of the lamp. For instance, the modified form of base-piece shown in Fig. 8 might be used and is the preferred form for use when applying the adjustment to rosettes and lamps already in place. This consists of a block of material, as porcelain, rounded out at the sides to give the necessary strength and space for the screw-holes 30, by which the base 31 is secured in place. This base has a long opening 32 in the form of a groove or slot formed on the side which will be placed against the ceiling and at its end is chamfered or rounded, as at 33, in order that no abrasion of the cord will occur in its movement through the slot 32.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination witharosette and a lamp, a flexible conductor intermediate said rosette and lamp, a base-piece appurtenant to the rosette and provided with an aperture, a flexible connection attached to said lamp and passing through the aperture, and a Weight for holding said flexible connection and lamp in various positions of adjustment.

2. In combination with a rosette including a base, an opening formed in the substance of the base, a flexible conductor intermediate the rosette and lamp, a flexible connection attached to the lamp at one end and passing through the opening in the base, and a counterbalance operatively arranged upon the flexible connection.

3. In combination with a'rosette having a base and an opening appurtenant thereto, a flexible connection passing through the opening and adapted to slide therein, a lamp-socket and a conductor intermediate the base and lamp-socket, a clip removably secured to said lamp-socket and provided with an aperture to receive the flexible connection, and means for securing said clip to ,the socket.

' 4. In combination witha rosette and a lamp, a flexible conductor intermediate said rosette and lamp, and forming a conductor, an adjusting-block operatively arranged with reference to the rosette and having an aperture arranged to exert a frictional grasp upon the flexible conductor, the flexible conductor passing through said aperture, and a counterbalance-weight for holding said flexible connection and lamp in various positions of adjustment. I

5. In combination with a rosette and lamp, a flexible conductor intermediate said rosette and lamp, an adjusting-block operatively arranged with reference to the rosette and provided with an aperturearranged to exert a frictional grasp upon a flexible connection, a flexible connection attached to the lamp and passing through said aperture, and a weight for holding said flexible connection and lamp in various positions of adjustment.

6. In combination with a rosette having connections for line-wires on either side thereof, a lamp, a conductor intermediate the rosette and lamp, an aperture formed appurtenant to the base of the rosette and arranged parallel with the line of the conductors for the rosette and between them, said aperture arranged to exert a frictional grasp upon the flexible conductor, the flexible conductor arranged to slide through the aperture, and a weight for holding said flexibleconductor and lamp in various positions of adjustment.

7 In combination with a rosette having connections on opposite sides thereof for linewires, a base-piece operatively arranged with reference to the rosette and having an aperture arranged to exert a frictional grasp upon a flexible connection, said aperture arranged in a line parallel with the line-wires and between them, a conductor intermediate the rosette and lamp, a flexible connection passing through the aperture of the base and connected with the lamp, and a weight for holding said flexible connection and lamp in various positions of adjustment.

WALTER G. MORSE.

Witnesses:

EMMA D. LEWIS, NELLIE E. KING. 

